Bourgas is located in the southeast of Bulgaria on the Bay of Bourgas, which is part of the Black Sea. The city is one of Bulgaria’s major resorts and serves as Bulgaria’s largest port. The city and its surroundings attract many tourists every year in the high season.
Bourgas is beautifully located, on one side we have the bay, and on another side, the city is surrounded by as many as 3 lakes: the Mandrenskiy, Atanasovskiy, and Bourgas Lakes. That’s why you’ll find here a mass of different attractions and many places for really long walks, not only along the seaside.
This is an interesting destination for a trip that is also attractively priced. We paid just 35 euro per person round-trip for flights from Poland.
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Sea Garden – the best place for a walk
Seaside Park, the so-called Morska Gradina, is one of the biggest attractions in Bourgas. It is a vast area that sits on a hill and offers a beautiful view of the sea and the local beaches. This green zone stretches for almost 7 kilometers and runs right on the seashore! Seaside Park is a place where you will go for a walk, lunch, or coffee.
In the park you will find a Polish accent – a monument to Adam Mickiewicz stands here. Why? The writer, while traveling to Istanbul. stopped and stayed for some time just in Bourgas. In addition, one of the streets in the city was also dedicated to him. In addition to the monument to the Polish poet, you will also see many monuments to other artists here.
The Sea Garden gathers many locals on its grounds every day, and of course tourists in the season, it is in a way the heart of the city. There is the Summer Theater, for example, which accommodates many fans of music, theater, and culture in general. This is because festivals, musical evenings, and plays are held here.
You should certainly come to the park and visit the local cafes or restaurants, you may even be interested in the casino. You will also find a lot of attractions for children here. Not far from the cultural zone is a zoo, and in addition to it there are many playgrounds in the park.
The park also features a color-changing fountain and a flower exhibition, which you will be able to admire right at the entrance to this green heart of the city. Everything is crowned with exotic palm trees in large pots, which add to the holiday atmosphere of the place.
Ezero Park and Sand Sculpture Festival
Right next to the Sea Garden is Ezero Park, which is an extension of it. It’s a place where you can enjoy the many activities available, such as horseback riding and playing tennis. The park, however, is famous for a completely different kind of entertainment.
The Sand Sculpture Festival has been held here for more than 14 years. Every year a different theme is chosen, and the sculptures that the artists create the look very realistic! Some of them reach a considerable size. We didn’t see this one, but you may be able to check it out – let us know in the comments.
The sculptures are created on the themes of cartoon characters or fairy tale heroes, and up to 2,500 tons of sand are used to create them! You can admire these interesting sand sculptures from June until the end of the summer season, every day between 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., and you will pay only a few – a dozen zlotys per conversion.
Birdwatching in Bourgas: flamingos and much more
For a unique opportunity to observe birds in their natural habitat, take a trip to the “Poda” protected area. This is quite a treat for nature fans, and bird lovers, but also for children.
Thanks to this nature reserve, among other things, Bourgas is sometimes even called the bird capital of Bulgaria. It doesn’t surprise me at all, I have seen many species of birds that I didn’t have a chance to see before, and only observed them from the car window during trips around the city!
You can meet up to 430 species of birds here. Dominant among them are pelicans, cormorants, and eagles. Traveling around the area, you can also spot flamingos – we saw them from a distance and it was a really interesting experience.
Pink Lake and salt panes
The Bourgas area is famous for its lakes, and you will see larger and smaller reservoirs that form a whole complex. One of the lakes is Atanasovsko, which is called the Pink Lake because of its color. You can visit it during the summer season, unfortunately, in the off-season, the area is closed to tourists.
Pink Lake is one of the spots you must see while in the area. The color of the lake provides a beautiful backdrop for photos, but that’s not all! The water in the reservoir has medicinal properties, so it’s worth bathing in it and spending a long while.
The entire complex of surrounding lakes was designed to make it possible to extract salt. It is the largest complex of the lake in Bulgaria. It is precisely such a high salinity of the water that causes its health-promoting effect on the body while bathing. Swimming in the lake, we gently float on the water, it works similarly to the Dead Sea.
An additional attraction here is the salt pan. This is nothing more than simply a free spa. You can come to this place to bathe in the small salt pools, and then apply a mask of the local mud to your body and wash it off after about 15-20 minutes. What one doesn’t do for beauty!
It is worth noting that the entire area is protected, as it is inhabited by rare animal species, especially birds. For example, we will meet here the Etruscan Shrew, which is one of the smallest mammals in the world.
The port and St. Anastasia Island
This largest port in the country is home to all kinds of ships, whether private, cruise, or industrial. I recommend this place for a walk and a quick coffee or lunch overlooking the bay. It is especially worth going here during sunset.
The port has recently undergone modernization and today is a modern and fashionable place that attracts both locals and tourists. You can go here not only for a walk, but also to visit the planetarium.
The port, however, houses another attraction. Boats depart from it, with which you can get to St. Anastasia Island, which lies nearby. This is a tiny island where a monastery and a lighthouse reign supreme. Here you will also see an interactive museum where you will discover the island’s history.
Interestingly, the island is sometimes called the Eastern European Alcatraz, because the monastery located there once served as a prison.
Other attractions worth seeing
As for historic or interesting places in Bourgas, you will find quite a few of them here. In the very center of the city are the large Cyril and Methodius Orthodox Church, the Ethnographic Museum, the Natural History Museum, and the Archaeological Museum.
It’s also worth taking a walk along Aleko Bogoridi, an alley that is closed to traffic and is the main street in Bourgas. This is the place where you will shop, and buy souvenirs, but also eat well in the numerous restaurants and cafes.
A big attraction in the city and the surrounding area, especially for those who like to swim and relax in the water, are also Aguapolis, which is a water park, as well as the Roman Baths of Thermopolis.
In season, of course, the main entertainment here is the large sandy beach, which is adjacent to the Seaside Park, and the long pier.
Where to eat in Bourgas?
Bulgarian cuisine is a result of various influences from neighboring countries. Thus, food in Bulgaria, or Bourgas as well, is similar to Greek or Turkish cuisine, for example. Bulgarians like to cook soups and are fond of vegetables and fruits, and when it comes to sweets, we can taste baklava here, for example.
A popular spice in Bulgaria is chubrin – which is dried savory or a mixture of paprika and other herbs. Famous dishes include, for example, Banica, a baked pancake layered with cheese, which is served with Ayran, and a salty yogurt for drinking, which is popular here.
Restaurants often serve seafood and snacks such as roasted peppers, fries with cheese, or a variety of sandwich pastes.
Certainly in Bulgaria, you can’t complain about the size of the portions, they are usually really solid and often at a good price. I particularly liked the shepherd’s salad, which is a vegetable salad with sheep’s cheese, a bit similar to a Greek salad.
I recommend to you the Flora Bar & Grill Bourgas restaurant, where we had a nice time and a delicious pizza, salad, and lunch.
Bulgaria is a good destination for those who like gluttons, so it’s worth going to Bourgas for coffee and delicious pastries. I recommend you Caffetteria Milano – the cakes at this cafe were truly insane!
Where to sleep in Bourgas?
In Bourgas, you can easily find accommodation in different places and of different levels. You can book here quite inexpensive (especially in low season) Airbnb or seaside camping, but you can also use luxury hotels.
In the city, you will find most 3-4 star facilities and apartments or guesthouses from private owners. We paid 247 PLN for 3 nights accommodation with a sea view in the low season.
Booking.comWhen going to Bourgas, remember that it is not an atmospheric small, and charming seaside town. It is the fourth largest city in Bulgaria and the second in terms of seaside resorts.
A national road also runs through the town, so it is well-connected to the surrounding area and the entire country. However, don’t let its size repel you, as it makes up for a lot with its location.
I enjoyed my time in Bourgas, however, I would recommend this city more for a day trip when visiting Sozopol or Nessebar, which are, however, much more picturesque and atmospheric.
See also:
Explore Nessebar – Best Things to Do in Bulgaria’s Seaside
